Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
The metrics of The Suburbs are misleading: At 16 tracks, including interludes and multi-part songs, it might seem like Arcade Fire are shooting for their Sandinista!, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, or Sign O’ The Times– a band at the peak of their powers reacting against the walls closing in by blowing everything up and trying anything. But the album actually plays out more like Bruce Springsteen’s The River, a generously paced collection of meditations on familial responsibility, private disappointments, and fleeting youth, much of which takes place in moving vehicles. It also reintroduces much-needed levity to an act that can be overbearingly self-serious. On the deceptively chipper chamber pop of “Rococo”, Win Butler borders on patronizing, evoking Nirvana’s “In Bloom” and using the title word as a sword to skewer an easy target: the hipster more concerned with following trends than locating a genuine understanding in the world around him. But the point is that Butler values directness and truth, and throughout The Suburbs, what he lacks in poetry, he makes up for with honesty. Read the full review
Gov’t Mule – Mulennium
December 31, 1999 ushered in a new century and millennium and called for something truly magical–and that night’s Gov’t Mule show at Atlanta’s historic Roxy Theatre delivered it. What made this New Years Eve show so extraordinary? For starters, Little Milton, one of Warren Haynes’ most important influences, joins Gov’t Mule for six songs including “I Can’t Quit You Baby” and “It Hurts Me Too.” Mulennium also marks the 10th anniversary of Allen Woody’s death and is the first official release featuring the original Gov’t Mule trio issued since his passing. Read full review
Black Crowes – Croweology
whether you’re already a fan or just now discovering the band, Croweology will be a great addition to any music collection. It gives you a look at one of the greatest rock bands in the last 20 years, it is a blueprint for what Rock n’ Roll was, is, and could be, and the music ain’t half-bad, either. You can play this record when you’re down, you can play it when you’re looking for a reason to live, you can play this record when you want to blame someone, and you can play this record when you’re wanting to forgive. It covers all the bases… all in a 20-song package. Read the full review
Blue Giant – Blue Giant
When Conor Oberst went from angsty indie to twangy country, he sounded ridiculous in foreign territory. But when Kevin and Anita Robinson of the psychedelic Portland rock duo Viva Voce expanded to become the rootsy country quintet Blue Giant, the transition seemed much smoother. The Robinsons have roots in their blood, originally coming to the Northwest from Nashville by way of Alabama. Their new self-title full-length is a collection of full and folksy songs deeply steeped in the blues. Read the full review
